


This Dance

by BabysNotaProp (SuzetteB)



Series: Destiel Bingo [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Christmas Fluff, Destiel fanfiction BINGO, Fluff, Holidays, M/M, School Dances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 15:15:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17144138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuzetteB/pseuds/BabysNotaProp
Summary: Cas has been wanting to approach Dean for months, and the perfect opportunity presents itself at the school holiday dance. There's only one problem: What if Dean says no? Cas can't bear it and is ready to let the chance pass him by, when he is shocked to learn the identity of his Secret Santa.





	This Dance

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Destiel Fanfiction BINGO. Square filled: Cas is scared of being rejected by Dean.
> 
> I love fluff, and the challenge was to make it holiday-themed. I have a weak spot for high school AUs, so this just sort of... popped out. There's a reference to a canon scene in here; let me know if you find it ;)

He stole another glance at the freckled boy across the dance floor. The moving lights cast blues and reds across everyone’s faces, and yet, nothing could take the green out of those eyes. And although the music drowned out most of the noise, Cas could imagine the sound of his laughter. He knew it so well. 

 

He should kick himself. Why wasn’t Dean Winchester on his arm at the holiday dance? Why was Cas dancing with a stand-in, and Dean joking with every red-lipped beauty that gave him the time of day?

 

Because he was a coward. Cas had months to plan for this. Months to figure out whether Dean was straight or not. Months to work out exactly how he’d ask him to the dance. They could’ve matched. Taken pictures. Talked. Flirted. Exchanged the looks every other couple had. 

 

Cas was in deep. But he was terrified. 

 

Dean Winchester hung out with different people than he did. They went to different school clubs and sat at different tables. But tonight could’ve been the night to bring them together. Even after all his procrastinating and second guessing, he could have bitten the bullet and approached him here, on the dance floor. 

 

But now he was with a girl he asked at the last minute, and Dean was with… he wasn’t sure, actually. He was wandering around, it seemed, popping in another pig in a blanket every time he made his rounds past the snack table. One of the popular girls asked him to dance. He obliged. 

 

Cas’ heart sank. He snapped back to the present when his date cleared her throat. 

 

“You ever gonna go talk to him, Clarence?”

 

“That’s… that’s not my name.”

 

Meg rolled her eyes. “He looks at you, you know.”

 

Cas blinked in disbelief. 

 

“When he thinks you’re not looking, he looks over here. And it ain’t at me, handsome.”

 

Cocking his head uncomfortably, he looked over his shoulder to see Dean whipping his head back around to face away from him and back to the girl he was with. Meg was right. 

 

“He looks busy.”

 

“What are you waiting for, silly goose?”

 

Cas exhaled through his nose, eyes drooping. “I’ve never seen him with a guy before, anyway.”

 

“You and I both know that doesn’t mean jack-diddly-squat.”

 

“And I just don’t think he’d like me. In the middle of — of this — isn’t the right time to profess my feelings for someone.”

 

“If not now, when, Cas?”

 

He shrugged while holding Meg’s waist. The song ended, thank the stars above, and Cas suddenly recognized the dryness in his throat. 

 

“I’m going to get punch.”

 

“Drop some vodka in mine,” Meg requested with a smirk. 

 

“I don’t think they have alcohol at school functions —”

 

“Kidding, Cas.” Her eyes brightened as she looked behind him. “Go now, he’s at the punch table!”

 

Cas reacted to her tone far before her actual words registered. Halfway to the table, he froze as he beheld the beautiful creation that was Dean Winchester, attempting to scoop punch into a cup without spilling. His concentrating face was intense and adorable. Cas’ heart skipped a beat. He was so far gone on this guy, it wasn’t even funny. 

 

“Want a cup?”

 

Cas had to shake himself out of a daze to realize the words were directed at him. And they were coming from the guy he was caught staring at. 

 

“Um, yes.” 

 

The green eyed wonder turned up a half smile as he poured, a bit of froth running down the side of the cup. When he extended his hand, it hit Cas that he needed to actually walk to the table in order to reach what he had been offered. He floundered around for something to say as he approached Dean, his electric energy hitting him with every inch closer. 

 

“Th-thank you, I, um… I uh,” Cas began, but paused to gasp as their fingers brushed. A current ignited every nerve in his body and shot straight to his core. He looked up, blushing when he found Dean’s lovely lips smiling at him. 

 

“You’re Cas, right?” Dean asked once it was apparent the sentence would never be completed. 

 

“Uh huh,” Cas mumbled, looking down at the cup in his hands. There was something magnetic about the way Dean looked at him — something that made it impossible for him to look back without butterflies taking flight in the pit of his stomach and his body temperature rising. 

 

“Does your girlfriend want some punch, too?”

 

Cas looked up, biting his lips. Gosh, darnit. He had forgotten all about Meg. What was happening to him?

 

“Oh uh, she’s not my girlfriend.”

 

Dean poured another cup anyway and handed it over. His brow was raised. “Y’know, this stuff is nice but it needs some vodka.”

 

For the first time all night, Cas gave a brief, timid smile. “She said the same thing.”

 

Dean laughed. Holy Christ, what a beautiful laugh. It came from deep within his belly and rumbled throughout every bone. Cas couldn’t help stating as he watched the otherworldly experience. 

 

“Well, at least I’m not the only one. See ya around, Cas.”

 

This was it. This was his chance. Ask him, Meg’s voice rang through his brain. She was his inner voice, and it was screaming at him. Say something, say something, say something. You scaredy cat, he’s right there. Right. There. He’s not even with anyone. You’ve got his attention. Just ask him —

 

“Okay, bye Dean,” he rattled before spinning back around. 

 

He couldn’t. He just couldn’t. Tears stung the backs of his eyes. He wanted to be brave so desperately, but he couldn’t. Because what if Dean said no? He would never be able to look at him again. And he couldn’t live with that. Not with how magnificent of a sight Dean was. 

 

And besides, Dean deserved to spend the rest of the dance with someone else. Someone better. At least, someone with less horrifically antisocial tendencies. Cas would probably be suffocating to him, anyway. 

 

He was so amazing and Cas was just… Cas. 

 

He walked back to Meg with his head hung low. He gave her one of the cups without a word. She pursed her lips, a reprimand on the tip of her tongue, but never let it out. She knew how he felt about the Winchester boy. And she knew not to push him past his limits. So she remained silent. 

 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the academic dean announced behind the mic. “It’s time to reveal our secret Santas. You have fifteen minutes.”

 

Cas immediately scanned the room for his assigned gift recipient. How the entire school managed to get on board with such a silly ritual, he would never know, but at least now it could be over. He found Samandriel sitting on the bleachers with some friends. 

 

“Um, hello,” Cas introduced, taking an envelope out of his suit pocket. Samandriel looked up inquisitively. “I’m your secret Santa. I got you one last gift. Happy holidays.”

 

The sophomore read the to and from tags. “Cool,” he smiled as he gently tore at the sealed envelope. “Thank you, ‘Castiel Novak.’ Your gifts were right on. You really paid attention to the flash card I filled out.”

 

“I have a few similar interests,” he explained. “I also enjoy gardening.”

 

“Yeah, the tulip kit is awesome,” Samandriel acknowledged. He pulled a Starbucks gift card out of the envelope and nodded in appreciation. “Thanks again, man.”

 

“Don’t mention it,” Cas said as he turned to leave. He barely got a step in before he realized he was face to face with Dean Winchester. He stepped back, startled, and gulped. 

 

Dean was holding something behind his back, and there was a twinkle in his eye. 

 

“Hello, Dean.” He could hear his voice shaking. 

 

“Hey Cas,” came the playful reply. “At first I thought I was gonna have to introduce myself for the first time doing this, but then you came to the punch table, so we got that outta the way, except,” he paused to lick his lips, which Cas was embarrassed at how red that made his cheeks. “Except I never told you my name.”

 

Cas furrowed his brows. “Come again?”

 

“I’m your secret Santa,” Dean explained. “We’ve never really talked, so I expected to have to introduce myself to you for the first time. But you already knew my name, which is interesting, because I never told you my name.”

 

Cas broke out in a cold sweat. He didn’t even remember saying Dean’s name at the punch table, but now he was being called out on it and he was trapped and had nowhere to run. He started about five different words, but they all got caught in his throat, and he swallowed them back down in defeat. 

 

“It’s fine, of course,” Dean clarified, hands still behind his back. “It just made me think you had somehow figured out that I’m your secret Santa.”

 

“What?” Cas blurted. “N-no… No, you’re just, popular and…”

 

“Eh, I’m really not,” Dean shrugged. 

 

It was true. Neither of them were officially the “cool kids.” He was cornered. His heart hammered in his chest. He absolutely could not ask Dean to reciprocate his interest now. Not after making a complete and utter fool of himself. 

 

“I just happen to know your name,” he justified vaguely. 

 

The twinkle in Dean’s eye died a little, and his shoulders tensed. “You sure that’s all?”

 

Cas looked deep into Dean’s eyes, as if chasing the sparkle that just diminished. What had he just done? He swallowed thickly and shook his head. 

 

The smile returned to Dean’s cheeks and reached his eyes. “Phew, okay good ‘cause your last gift is kinda lame if you’re not as into this as I thought.”

 

Before Cas could question the cryptic statement, Dean pulled the mystery item out from behind his back. It was a small, transparent plastic box, and Cas sucked in a barely audible gasp at the contents. 

 

Matching boutonnières. 

 

Cas took the box, unwittingly withholding his own breath, bending down to read the small outer tag:

 

_ To: Cas _

_ From: Dean _

_ Surprise! I’m your Secret Santa! _

_ P.S. Dance with me? _

 

“Dean,” Cas began, looking back up as every bit of nervousness melted away. 

 

“I didn’t know what color you were gonna wear, so I just uhh, got blue.” He chuckled. “Because it’s the color of your eyes. That’s um, haha, that’s pretty cheesy, right?”

 

Cas found himself smiling. And not just a half smile, either. He was grinning so hard, his nose crinkled. Finding his breath again, he met Dean’s adoring gaze. Dean visibly relaxed at the reaction, all previous apprehension disappearing into a relieved sigh. 

 

He read the tag over and over, each time sure he was missing something, that he was imagining the invitation. But no, after a dozen re-reads, it was still there. 

 

“Yes,” he finally let out, nodding aggressively at the tags and the boutonnières and the handsome man before him. 

 

Dean’s eyes widened. “Yes?”

 

Cas let out a short chuckle. “Oh god, yes. I’ve been wanting to… I mean I’d love to… I’m… Yes. I want to dance with you.”

 

“Hell freakin’ yeah, dude! I didn’t know if you were gay or not, so I was nervous.”

 

“I didn’t know if you were.”

 

Dean shrugged again. “I’m not picky.”

 

“I am.”

 

The admittance took Dean by surprise, and he fidgeted with the box until Cas grabbed it and took one of the flowers in his hand. 

 

“That’s why I wanted you,” Cas finished, slipping the pin through Dean’s lapel. It was Dean’s turn to stare dumbfounded. The tips of his ears turned pink as Cas’ eyes bounced from his lapel to his eyes as he worked, each look sending Dean further and further into a state of twitterpation. He was helpless against the pull of those dark blue eyes, and would’ve kept staring if it weren’t for the announcement over the speaker system. 

 

“One minute warning! Get those gifts out and then it’s back to the dance floor!”

 

The flower was in place, but Cas lingered his fingertips on the side of Dean’s chest. The touch was barely there, yet he couldn’t bring himself to pull away. He admired the petals, a near perfect match to his eyes, and smiled shyly when he looked up to see Dean beaming back at him with the other boutonnière in hand. 

 

Cas stayed as still as possible while Dean fussed over the pin. It would be embarrassing for both of them if their first interaction included one of them getting stabbed in the chest. Cas missed Dean’s gentle touch as soon as he removed his hands, but was heartened at the start of the next song. 

 

Couples began crowding the floor. Someone spilled their drink near the punch table. Meg smiled from the back of the room, observing the unfolding in its entirety while lingering with Jo and Ash. 

 

In that moment, Cas felt a little silly for being so scared of rejection, but it was overshadowed by the relief Dean gave him by taking initiative. Dean didn’t need to ask him twice, but it made Cas’ heart flutter when he extended his hand and did just that. 

 

“May I have this dance, Cas?”


End file.
